Publications
Publications
- Journal of Economic Perspectives
Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist
By: Nava Ashraf, Colin Camerer and George Loewenstein
Abstract
Adam Smith's psychological perspective in The Theory of Moral Sentiments is remarkably similar to "dual-process" frameworks advanced by psychologists, neuroscientists, and more recently by behavioral economists, based on behavioral data and detailed observations of brain functioning. It also anticipates a wide range of insights regarding phenomena such as loss aversion, willpower, and fairness that have been the focus of modern behavioral economics. This essay draws attention to some of these connections.
Keywords
Citation
Ashraf, Nava, Colin Camerer, and George Loewenstein. "Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist." Journal of Economic Perspectives 19, no. 3 (Summer 2005): 131–145. (Read an interview about this article in HBS Working Knowledge.)